AUAS Library
Videos Smart Searching
In short videos, made by the information specialists of the AUAS Library, students explain the steps of a smart information strategy. Have a look to see what videos there are for each step.
The Eight Steps of Smart Searching
Click on a theme to watch the videos:
- The search process
- Define the problem
- Think out search terms
- Find information resources
- Search for information
- Search in specific information resources
- Make your selection
- Process the results
- Media Literacy
1. The search process
There is an enormous amount of information to be found. Where do you begin your search? The first videos explain how the search process works.
Search the Library
In the library you will find a lot of reliable information you can use for your study. Watch in this video how to find (digital) information in an easy way.
The search process in a nutshell
Searching for information involves a great deal more than the search query itself. What is involved and which phases do you encounter?
2. Define the problem
Good research starts with a good question. How do you develop your research question? Watch these videos for tips.
How do I go from topic to search query? (In Dutch)
For an efficient search you should know exactly what you aim to find. It is essential that you formulate your search queries clearly and concisely. This video gives you some tips.
How do I formulate a good main question? (In Dutch)
Do you want to know how to write a good main question? Then watch this video.
What is a theoretical framework?
What is a theoretical framework and how is it related to other parts of your thesis?
How do I create good sub-questions? (in Dutch)
Making good sub-questions for your main question is quite difficult. In this video you will get a number of tips.
3. Think out search terms
Really good information is found by using good search terms. How do you develop these? Watch this videos for tips.
How do I find good search terms? (In Dutch)
In order to search effectively, you must know exactly what you are looking for. It is essential that you should clearly define your problem, the main query and any subqueries and the search terms. What should you pay attention to?
4. Find information resources
Each information resource contains different information. How to find the right information resource for your research? Watch these videos for tips.
What is the deep web? (In Dutch)
Sometimes it seems everything can be found by Google. However, the larger part of the Internet is hidden in the deep web. What is this deep web and how can you search it?
What is a bibliography? (In Dutch)
When looking for useful information, you will doubtlessly come across bibliographic data. What is this?
5. Search for information
Not all information is equally valuable. How do you find exactly the right information?
How to combine search terms. (In Dutch)
By combining search terms in a smart way you will find that you get much better results. This video is about search techniques.
How can I improve my precision and recall? (In Dutch)
After a search, you obviously wish to have a sufficient number of relevant search results and as few irrelevant ones as possible. Watch how you can improve this.
6. Search in specific information resources
Sometimes you need specialist information for your research. Where can you find it? Watch these videos to find out.
How do I search in social media? (In Dutch)
Social media are very useful, for example to find the right person for an interview or internship. Watch how to do this.
How do I find research reports on the web? (In Dutch)
Research reports can be very useful for your studies. In this video you will find some tips on how to find such reports on the Internet.
Where can I find images on a specific subject?
There are various possibilities to find images. What if you only wish to find images that can be used freely (on certain conditions)?
7. Make your selection
You'll soon find too much information. How to make a good selection? Watch these videos to get some tips.
How to select good resources. (In Dutch)
For your studies and your future career, it is important that the information you use is relevant and reliable. How do you determine that it is?
How do I judge the reliability of websites? (In Dutch)
It is often hard to judge if a website is reliable and if it can be used as a source for your paper. This short clip gives some useful tips.
8. Process the results
Having found the information, it is time to process it. How do you do this and what needs special attention? Watch these videos.
What is copyright? (In Dutch)
Copyright protects you against unauthorised use of your work. Similary, you are not entitled to use anybody else's texts freely. But what does copyright entail exactly?
How do I mention my sources? (In Dutch)
You must indicate the sources you use, otherwise you commit plagiarism. There are certain rules for this. Watch this video to learn when and especially how to do this.
9. Media Literacy
Do you actually know what's out there about you on the internet? Watch this video for tips on what to be aware of.
How do I come across on the internet? (in Dutch)
Do you actually know what information there is about you on the internet? How others are allowed to use this? And how you present yourself to the world? This film shows what you should be aware of.